Abstract
International air travel is widely considered to be critical to academic career success and important to the international standing of universities. Academics have long regarded air travel as vital to advancing research, building collaborations, and disseminating knowledge. However, there has been growing recognition and acceptance in recent years of the urgent need to reduce air travel emissions, posing a complex conundrum for academics. Many academics, some of whom are at the forefront of climate change science and actively advocate for strong climate action, are also highly aeromobile. This has been described as ‘climate hypocrisy’ on the part of academics, which may compromise the efficacy of their (climate) research.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption as border closures forced academics to advance their research and careers with greatly reduced aeromobility. Following the pandemic, the higher education sector is emerging with a greater focus and commitment to reducing air travel and emissions. Nevertheless, university travel-related policies that were developed before COVID-19 may now compromise the capacity of academics to function effectively while seeking to change long-established air travel practices. Thus, recognising the gap between pre-COVID travel-related university policy settings and emerging post-COVID academic air travel reduction targets, this research aims to critically explore academic experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic to inform pathways towards embedding new and emerging air travel practices that are equitable, sustainable, and responsible. To address the research aim, the following research objectives are pursued:
Objective one: To develop a conceptual framework outlining the factors affecting academic air travel.
Objective two: To investigate academics’ aeromobility changing practices in the post-COVID-19 environment.
Objective three: To explore the relationship between existing (pre-COVID) air travel-related policies and evolving (post-COVID) academic air travel practices.
To address the research objectives, this study used a two-phase mixed-method approach. An online survey was first conducted with academic staff at the University of Otago (UoO), New Zealand, to explore how they have adapted to virtual working experiences during COVID-19 and the potential implications of significant changes in academic aeromobility practices. Next, post-survey interviews were conducted to identify the factors that underpin academic flying behaviours, examine tensions arising from online working experiences, explore academics’ responses to the accusations of ‘climate hypocrisy’, investigate the relationship between existing (pre-COVID) air travel-related policies and evolving (post-COVID) academic air travel practices, and examine what a responsible academic air travel future may look like.
Overall, the thesis findings contribute to advancing the academic aeromobility literature by proposing a practice-based academic flying framework. The framework synthesises academic flying behaviours as informed by the theoretical and empirical insights that emerged from this research. The results show that the motivation of key stakeholders is vital to reducing academics’ aeromobility. Academics’ awareness of climate change and individual responsibility and norms work collectively to drive policy and practice change. While academics accept the need to reduce air travel emissions, they face significant barriers to practice change in terms of job security, career advancement, equity, and equality. Rather than being trapped in a loop of ‘climate hypocrisy’, UoO academics face a complex ‘moral quandary’ which is difficult to resolve because of the UoO’s distant location and lack of options for air transport substitution. This ‘moral quandary’ relates to concerns about climate change and high carbon emissions, having an awareness of social responsibilities, and wanting to reduce air travel emissions but being unable or cautious to do so because of existing barriers. In response, institutions’ policies and political, financial, and physical infrastructure need to empower academics to change their air travel practices without significant personal or professional compromise. Thus, universities must evolve their travel-related policies to address these gaps, enabling academics to adopt new practices that do not target, single out, or disadvantage themselves, their discipline, or their institution.
This research responds to a new post-COVID-19 urgency for institutions to radically reduce their air travel emissions. It highlights the need for collaboration between institutions and academics by underlining the importance of academics’ individual responsibility and the university’s support, position, and intentions towards developing a responsible academic air travel agenda. The thesis findings can assist universities in developing policies that reflect the unique circumstances that may constrain practice change, such as geographical isolation, politics, finance, and culture, as well as the tensions, compromises, and equity issues that academics face (both individually and collectively) in enacting a future of responsible academic air travel.